Perennial Grass
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Type: Well-drained soil. Sandy, Sandy Loam, Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Clay, Limestone-based
Height: 2'-4'
Leaf color: green
Fruiting Time: May-August
Fruit: white, greenish yellow seed heads
Attracts: Butterflies (a large variety of skippers); Birds with seeds and nesting material
Pollinator Benefits: Larval Host for Ottoe Skipper, Indian Skipper, Crossline Skipper, Dusted Skipper, Cobweb butterfly, Dixie skipper; nesting materials for native bees
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Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) Little bluestem is a very ornamental bunchgrass with fine-textured foliage that forms very dense mounds 18-24 inches tall. Slender blue-green stems reach 3 feet by September, and become radiant mahogany-red with white, shining seed tufts in the fall. Color remains nearly all winter. Perennial clumps grow up to a foot in diameter.
This mid-prairie species gets its name from the bluish color of the stem bases in the spring, but most striking is the plant's reddish-tan color in fall, persisting through winter snows. The seeds, fuzzy white at maturity, are of particular value to small birds in winter.
info from www.wildflower.org